Tag: Lord Roberts of Llandudno

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-06-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the EU–Turkey deal on the safety and security of Syrian refugees.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The UK is committed to the successful implementation of the EU/ Turkey migration deal. The numbers of migrants arriving at Greek islands has significantly reduced since this deal came into effect and it is making genuine difference to managing the flows of migration; preventing people from dying in attempting the crossing or putting themselves in the hands of smugglers. Turkey is already hosting over 2.7 million Syrian refugees all of whom are provided with access to healthcare, education and the labour market.

We are also pleased to note that the recent agreements Turkey has reached with the European Commission and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in providing them with access to the Düziçi Camp and Kirklareli Removal Centre. The UK continues to work with Turkey to deliver further improvements to their immigration and asylum services.

In addition, the UK is contributing £250 million towards the 3 billion Euros Turkey Refugee Facility agreed by all EU Member States to help Turkey address the consequences of the Syria conflict. Our support will fund schools, hospitals and housing to meet the needs of refugees.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-09-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many migrants have been rescued by British ships because they have found themselves in difficulty crossing the Mediterranean or Adriatic seas.

Earl Howe

In total, British ships have rescued over 24,000 migrants in the Mediterranean since April 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-11-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government from which refugee camps the 1,000 refugees who are to be brought to the UK by Christmas are coming.

Lord Bates

UNHCR identifies and proposes Syrian refugees for the VPR scheme from among the whole of the registered refugee population in the region, from Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt. This includes people in formal refugee camps, informal settlements and host communities. This provides refugees with a more direct and safe route to the UK, rather than risking the hazardous journey to Europe which has tragically cost so many lives.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-12-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the NHS recognises alcoholism as a mental health issue.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Evidence shows that there is a link between alcohol misuse and mental ill health. We know that people who drink excessively are at higher risk of poor mental health and that some people with mental illness may lead riskier lifestyles and may have issues with alcohol and drug misuse.

National Health Service clinicians use the tenth edition of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) for mental and behavioural disorders. The ICD-10 includes ‘Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol.’

Diagnosis of a mental or behavioural disorder would be subject to an individual assessment, by an appropriate clinician.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-01-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to lift the ban on aid entering the Grande-Synthe refugee camps.

Lord Bates

The management of the camp – both in terms of humanitarian aspects and maintaining law and order – is the responsibility of the French Government and operational needs may require for them to restrict access under certain circumstances. Aid is not restricted as a matter of course, and we work with the French to ensure those who need help are able to receive it.

To help protect vulnerable people (including children and other potential victims of trafficking) the Home Secretary and French Interior Minister agreed in the UK-France Joint Declaration in August 2015 to set up a project to identify and direct vulnerable individuals to existing protection, support and advice within France. The UK has contributed €750,000 (£530,000) to fund the project which formally launched in December 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-03-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications for asylum from refugees in the Calais and Dunkirk camp they have accepted under the Dublin III Regulations.

Lord Keen of Elie

Whilst all asylum claims, including those accepted under Dublin III, are registered on the main immigration database the specifics of each case including the route of travel and possible stay in the camps in Calais and Dunkirk can only be ascertained by a manual check of the notes on the immigration database and a physical check of the paper file.

It will therefore not be possible to answer this question for reasons of disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-05-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government with whom refugee children will be required to register in order to be admitted into the UK.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

As announced on 4 May we are looking to admit children who were already present in the EU before 20 March 2016. This is the date the EU-Turkey deal came into force.

We are working with the relevant Member States, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and other Non-Governmental Organisations and local authorities to establish the best way to implement the provisions of the Immigration Act 2016 for the transfer of unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK.

We will be flexible in our interpretation of what ‘registered’ means. We are not seeking to impose an overly burdensome legalistic requirement on children to prove they have formally ‘registered’ but we would expect clear evidence that they were present in Europe before 20 March

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-06-15.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of asylum applications were accepted over the past 12 months.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

In the year ending March 2016, there were 33,713 initial decisions on asylum applications from main applicants and dependants. Of these decisions, 37% (12,410) were grants of asylum or an alternative form of protection.

The Home Office publishes quarterly figures on asylum applications and initial decisions within the Immigration Statistics release. A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics January to March 2016, is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-january-to-march-2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-09-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been their total expenditure on military action in Syria and Iraq.

Earl Howe

From August 2014 to 31 March 2016, the net additional costs of counter-Daesh activity in Iraq and Syria were £265 million. These costs were met from a combination of the HM Treasury Special Reserve and the Deployed Military Activity Pool (DMAP). The £265 million is split into £45 million in financial year 2014-15, and £220 million in financial year 2015-16.

This activity was to support UK military activity to degrade and ultimately defeat Daesh. It has included airstrikes in support of coalition ground operations and airborne intelligence gathering operations in Iraq and Syria, as well as helping to train the Iraqi Security Forces and moderate Syrian opposition.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-11-10.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what mental health support they are offering to recently arrived Syrian refugees.

Lord Bates

The Syrian VPR scheme prioritises those who cannot be supported effectively in their region of origin.

Before accepting or rejecting a referral local authorities will be provided with information on medical needs and will think carefully about whether they have the infrastructure and support networks needed to ensure the appropriate care and integration of these refugees.